Chapter 92

(Bowing in gratitude to "Wind Trumpet 2" and "Soul Under the Tomb" for their support!)

"Damn! Zhou Ming, you really dare to speak like that!" Du Peng said to Zhou Ming.

Nanjing City was a special economic zone, and as the mayor, Chen Yunfei had a lot to deal with every day. After finishing his conversation with Zhou Ming, Chen Yunfei left the reception room. Once Chen Yunfei was gone, Du Peng, no longer under his pressure, started to act up. After all, what Zhou Ming had said in front of Chen Yunfei was truly shocking, and probably no one else would have dared to say such things.

Zhou Ming, however, was indifferent: "What's there to be afraid of? I'm the typical barefoot one who isn't afraid of the shod. If there are benefits, I'll take them; if not, I was already nothing two months ago."

Du Peng knew Zhou Ming's rags-to-riches story, but that's why he was even more impressed. For most people, they would dare to take risks when they had nothing, but once they made money, they would become cautious and lose their former courage.

"But still, do you really have the confidence to persuade those bank managers? I know those guys are really hard to deal with," Du Peng asked.

"If you asked me this yesterday, I would tell you I had little confidence, but today, I can tell you I'm completely confident!" Zhou Ming said.

Du Peng was taken aback: "Why is that?"

"Because I met a very special person on the train, who gave me a lot of inspiration. Seeing him, I suddenly remembered a method that can be very persuasive," Zhou Ming said.

Du Peng was completely confused by this, not understanding what Zhou Ming was talking about. Since Yang Yong wasn't yet the future cult leader of a pyramid scheme, Zhou Ming didn't explain much to Du Peng.

After leaving the Nanjiang City government building, Zhou Ming went to the immigration office to pick up Tang Ran. Tang Ran hadn't seen Zhou Ming for over a month and was eager to see him, so she took a day off from work. She originally planned to go to the train station to pick him up, but Du Peng said Mayor Chen Yunfei wanted to see him, so she didn't come. Zhou Ming had to finish his business and then come to find her.

Zhou Ming called Tang Ran before leaving the government building. When he arrived at the entrance of her dormitory, he saw her standing there, looking around.

Zhou Ming waved to her, and Tang Ran saw him, her face lighting up. She ran toward him, but after just a few steps, a white Toyota pulled up in front of her, startling her.

The Toyota's window rolled down, and a man with sunglasses poked his head out, speaking in broken Cantonese: "Pretty lady, where are you going? Can I give you a ride?"

Hearing this, Zhou Ming knew the man was trying to chat her up. Today, Tang Ran was wearing a T-shirt and skirt that Zhou Ming had brought back from Hong Kong, with a small white hat, and her innocent and cute demeanor made her look like a pure and sweet neighbor's little sister, making men want to protect her. This guy, who could afford a car, was probably a wealthy boss, and naturally, he wanted to chat her up, but he had picked the wrong target!

"No... no, thank you. My boyfriend is waiting for me, he's coming over," Tang Ran said hurriedly, stepping back and instinctively putting some distance between herself and the Toyota.

Hearing Tang Ran, the Toyota man was surprised and turned to look at Zhou Ming, who was walking over. He sneered and then said to Tang Ran, "Pretty lady, it's so hot today, and the sun is so strong. How can you be convenient without a car? Why don't you let me give you a ride? It's much more convenient, right?"

Tang Ran shook her head vigorously: "No, really, no. We can take a taxi."

"Taking a taxi is so troublesome. You have to stand by the roadside and wait in the dust. It's no problem, I have nothing to do now," the Toyota man persisted.

Zhou Ming walked over, and before he could speak, the Toyota man asked him with a sidelong glance, "You're this pretty lady's boyfriend, right?"

Zhou Ming nodded and asked what was wrong. The Toyota man looked Zhou Ming up and down and said, "You look like a cultured person. How about this: I have a company outside the East Gate. Come work for me, and I'll give you 400 yuan a month. That's a pretty good deal, right? After all, I hit it off with your girlfriend at first sight."

Hearing the Toyota man, Zhou Ming was almost amused and exasperated. This guy really had a high opinion of himself.

But Zhou Ming looked at himself and understood why the guy thought this way. He had just gotten off the train and was taken to the government building by Du Peng. Now, he hadn't had time to change his clothes, so the Toyota man, seeing his travel-worn attire, assumed he was a poor student working in Nanjiang who had gotten lucky to have a girlfriend as beautiful as Tang Ran.

"Zhou Ming, don't pay attention to him. I don't know him," Tang Ran explained hurriedly.

Hearing Tang Ran, the Toyota man said to Zhou Ming, "So your name is Zhou Ming? That's a nice name. How about it? 400 yuan a month, a rare good deal. But I hit it off with this pretty lady, you know."

"Zhou Ming, let's ignore him. He's crazy. Let's go," Tang Ran said to Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming patted Tang Ran's hand and gave her a reassuring smile, then asked the Toyota man, "Are you rich?"

Seeing Zhou Ming finally speaking to him, the Toyota man immediately perked up, not knowing that Zhou Ming was deliberately engaging him. After all, daring to chat up Tang Ran in front of Zhou Ming and acting so self-satisfied made Zhou Ming feel he needed to teach him a lesson. But the Toyota man was oblivious and proudly patted his car, saying to Zhou Ming, "Look at my car, a Toyota Crown, a luxury car. Do you think I'm rich?"

Zhou Ming found this amusing. When did a Toyota become a symbol of wealth? But then he thought, in this era, Mercedes-Benz and BMW hadn't entered the market yet, so a Toyota was indeed considered a luxury car.

Seeing Zhou Ming's strange expression, the Toyota man thought Zhou Ming didn't recognize the Toyota and changed his approach: "Let's do this. I see you don't know what a Toyota Crown is. Why don't you and the pretty lady get in the car, and I'll take you out for lunch. Then you'll know if I'm rich or not."

"Take me out for lunch?" Zhou Ming thought to himself, "Are you sure? I eat a lot."

The Toyota man sneered: "How much can you eat? Get in the car, and I'll take you to a great meal."

"Alright, if you're so generous, I'll go with you to see the world," Zhou Ming said.

As he spoke, a glint of determination flashed in Zhou Ming's eyes. He was thinking, "Since you like to show off so much, you deserve what's coming to you."

Zhou Ming got into the car with Tang Ran. Once inside, Tang Ran clung to Zhou Ming, as if everything in the car was a snake or a demon.

Zhou Ming held Tang Ran, gently patting her back, and comforted her, "It's okay, just think of it as a taxi. The guy in front is just the driver."

The Toyota man was about to start the car when he heard Zhou Ming's words and almost choked. He gritted his teeth and cursed Zhou Ming in his heart: "Damn, I'm kindly taking you out for a meal, and you treat me like a taxi driver? Have you ever seen a luxury car used as a taxi? If it weren't for the pretty lady, I'd throw you out of the car!"

The Toyota man cursed inwardly but still smiled and said, "It seems the pretty lady rarely rides in a car!"

"Yes, we usually take taxis," Zhou Ming said.

"That's where I have to criticize you. How can you let such a pretty lady take a taxi? If it were me, I would never let my woman take a taxi. It's better to drive, right?" the Toyota man said deliberately.

Zhou Ming chuckled and didn't respond. The Toyota man thought his words had affected Zhou Ming and continued, "Little brother, I'm not saying this to criticize you, but you really need to make more money. You should consider working for me. I'm the boss, and I can give you some special treatment. I can even drive the pretty lady to and from work. She'll get used to riding in a car, right? After all, she'll always need to ride in a car in the future."

Zhou Ming didn't have time to listen to the Toyota man's ideological lecture and said, "Can we go to the hotel now? I'm hungry."

The Toyota man, who was in the middle of his speech, was taken aback by Zhou Ming's sudden words. He started the car and muttered, "Beggar is a beggar."

After about ten minutes of driving, the Toyota man brought Zhou Ming and Tang Ran to the East Gate Hotel. He parked the car and introduced it to Zhou Ming, "This is the East Gate Hotel, the most luxurious hotel in all of Nanjiang. How about it? You've never been here before, right?"

Zhou Ming completely ignored his sarcasm and countered, "I heard a new and better hotel, the South Lake Hotel, was built on the South Lake side. It's a very tall building. Isn't that the best?"

The Toyota man looked at Zhou Ming and said, "Oh? I didn't expect you to know so much, even though you don't have much money. Yes, a new hotel was built on the South Lake side, but it's just finished, and many things are not yet perfect. The food isn't as varied as here. The East Gate Hotel is a well-known brand in Nanjiang, and people like me usually prefer such established places."

Zhou Ming chuckled inwardly. Du Peng had told him that the South Lake Hotel was built to international first-class standards and was undoubtedly the best hotel in Nanjiang. Of course, with first-class food and facilities, the prices were naturally higher. According to Du Peng, if you ate in a better private room, it would be about 30% more expensive than the East Gate Hotel, and even more for a top-tier private room.

Judging by the Toyota man, he was probably just a small boss. Zhou Ming and Tang Ran weren't important clients he needed to impress, so he was trying to save money by showing off in front of Tang Ran.

Zhou Ming's gaze made the Toyota man uncomfortable, and he quickly waved his hands and shook his head, "Hey! What am I saying to you? From your appearance, I can tell you don't often come to places like this. It's a waste of time. Let's go in, shall we?"

"Sure."

Zhou Ming agreed and followed the Toyota man into the hotel, thinking, "East Gate Hotel it is. I can still make you cry here, and I'm more familiar with this place."

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